PIA Press ReleaseSunday, January 08, 2012

Cancer patients in Mindanao face brighter future says PNoy

by Jean Duron-Abangan

TAGUM CITY, Jan. 08 (PIA) -- With the inauguration of the Nuclear and Radiotherapy Center known as the Mindanao Cancer Center, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III said cancer victims faces a brighter future.

Putting up the cancer center cost a total of P157,447,509. Of this amount P134,400,00 was used for the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment and P23,047,509 to building construction.

In his message read by Health Secretary Enrique Ona, the President said he knows of the suffering of cancer patients, and the burden on their families as he recalled his mother former President Corazon A quino who died of colon cancer.

The cancer center is seen to substantially cut the total cost of cancer treatment by 50 percent as families with cancer patients would be able to save incidental expenses on plane fare, accommodation and food that they would be spending should they seek treatment either in Manila or in Cebu.

In a project briefer, the cancer center is said to aim for provision of “adequate, accessible, and affordable cancer care to all patients regardless of capacity to pay from early diagnosis to palliative care.”

On the other hand, President Aquino revealed that the national government this year is allocating almost P40 billion for the health sector.

He also announced the quadruple increase of budget for health insurance premiums from P3.5 billion to P12 billion to benefit 5.2 million families identified and screened through the National Household Targeting System .

Citing the success of Doctors to Barrio in 2011, President Aquino said he wanted to step up the implementation of such program by pouring on it more than P1 billion funding this year for the deployment of 200 doctors, 12,000 nurses and more than 1,000 midwives to regional health units, barangay health stations and government hospital nationwide.

Meanwhile, President Aquino had no doubts about the success on health services that the country can get through being honest and responsible especially among leaders.

Aside from gracing the cancer center inauguration this afternoon, the President was also expected to attend the wedding ceremony of Congressman del Rosario to Karina Anne Chui at Lanikai Resort. (JDA/PIA-11)